Latest news with #KingsFoundation
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
David Beckham's knighthood demonstrates everything wrong with the honours system
There's a lot of noise around David Beckham this week – and, for once, it's not about the supposed feud involving him and Victoria with their son Brooklyn and Brooklyn's wife Nicola Peltz. All the signs are that the former England footballer is to be given a knighthood in the forthcoming King's Birthday Honours. Many will see it as a well-deserved accolade for a man who played more than 100 times for his country and captained the England squad. And he has since gone on to do his bit for charity, from UNICEF to being an ambassador for the King's Foundation. When certain celebrities skipped the queue, Beckham patiently waited in line with the rest of us to pay his respects to Elizabeth II during her lying in state in Westminster Hall. But while it's good to learn that Becks will soon become Sir David, it's less encouraging that the kind of people who really deserve gongs – the volunteers who are the backbone of Britain – have been ignored these past few days, despite the fact that this has been Volunteers Week. This is supposed to be the time of year when we hear about the people who litter pick, visit the elderly, give children extra help with reading, serve teas on hospital stalls – and even save lives by manning lifeboats. But Volunteers Week has been well under the radar. With the King's Birthday Honours coming up, the attention will be not only on Sir David, but all kinds of other celebrities too. Scour the honours lists when they are published in a few days time and the chances are that, as usual, the top gongs will go to other sports stars as well as musicians to join Sir Mick, Sir Paul, Sir Elton, Sir Rod, and Sir Cliff in the pop pantheon. There's bound to be yet another theatrical dame. Meanwhile, well-paid local authority chief executives and elite civil servants will also secure honours, as if the high salary and equally sizeable pension isn't enough for a would-be Sir Humphrey. This system is now so broken that the people who truly deserve recognition – the volunteers on whom Britain relies to give their time and skills for free – receive the lowlier gongs if any mention at all. I doubt any of them do it in the hope they will one day secure an OBE or a British Empire Medal. But a little more recognition would surely go a long way. It particularly matters now because recognition puts the spotlight on volunteering – something worryingly in decline. Balancing family and your job, irregular working hours, and the women who might once have volunteered because they didn't work but now have fulfilling careers – all these are reasons why fewer people step up to help in all kinds of endeavours, from scout groups to nature reserves. Covid didn't help, either: many older volunteers disappeared during the pandemic and didn't return. This is why publicity is vital. Those of us who do volunteer – and mine is hardly in the saving lives on a lifeboat category, but instead involves a few hours being a guide in an idyllic garden – know how personally beneficial it is. You learn new skills, meet people, spend some time out of the house. It's the ideal incentive for putting down your smartphone: you can't volunteer if you are glued to a screen. These personal benefits are matched by the benefits to society. Back in 2020, the National Churches Trust did some groundbreaking research which assessed that the contribution to society as a whole of churches – and most of the benefit was the support services churches provide, such as lunch clubs, youth groups and food banks – was worth a remarkable £55 billion to the economy. But there's another reason why volunteering matters. It's about the kind of country we live in. It's vital that the temptation for services to be taken over by the state is resisted – not just because we can't afford it financially, but we can't afford it in terms of what it would do to society. A statist society loses something profound – a sense that as individuals we can contribute something not for financial gain or because we're ordered to do so but out of a sense of service. We need that reflected in the honours system before it's lost for good.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
David Beckham ‘to receive long-awaited knighthood' in King's birthday honours next week
Football icon David Beckham will reportedly be awarded a knighthood next week. According to a report in The Sun, the former England captain's knighthood will be announced in the King's birthday honours list. The recognition comes over two decades after Beckham, 50, was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2003, which acknowledged his contributions to football and charity. Through his playing career, he amassed 115 caps for the England national team and achieved domestic and international success with clubs including Manchester United, Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, Paris Saint-Germain, and AC Milan. He captained the national team for more than five years and is particularly remembered for his 2001 free-kick against Greece that sent England to the 2002 World Cup. Beyond his sporting achievements, Beckham has been an active ambassador for Unicef and, more recently, the King's Foundation, focusing on education and environmental initiatives. He said at the time: 'I'm excited to be working with The King's Foundation and to have the opportunity to help raise awareness of the charity's work. 'I've always been keen to help young people to expand their horizons and I'm particularly looking forward to supporting the foundation's education programmes and its efforts to ensure young people have greater access to nature. Having developed a love for the countryside I'm also on a personal mission to learn more about rural skills which is so central to the foundation's work. 'It was inspiring to hear from the King about the work of His Majesty's foundation during my recent visit to Highgrove Gardens – and compare beekeeping tips.' In May this year, King Charles III and Camilla attended the RHS Chelsea Flower Show alongside Beckham, who wore the King's Rose on his lapel, a striped variety named after the monarch. In January this year, Beckham was honoured with a Crystal Award at the annual World Economic Forum meeting in Switzerland, for his 'extraordinary leadership and humanitarianism' in protecting 'the rights of the most vulnerable children'. 'Today, there are more children in need and at risk than any time in recent history, and it is always the most vulnerable children who face the biggest challenges – especially girls,' he said on stage. 'Girls are held back by poverty, girls are held back by violence, girls are held back by discrimination.' 'I'm lucky enough to be a father of three boys and one beautiful girl. I want my daughter Harper to have the same opportunities as her brothers, and that should be the case for all girls everywhere.' In 2022, Beckham was part of a 13-hour queue with members of the public to pay his respects to Queen Elizabeth II as she lay in state at Westminster Hall. The forthcoming honour will also extend to Beckham's wife, Victoria, who will be known as 'Lady Beckham' after the formal announcement. The Independent has reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
David Beckham to finally be knighted more than 20 years after receiving OBE
David Beckham is reportedly set to be knighted next week, according to The Sun. The knighthood comes over two decades after Beckham was appointed an OBE in 2003 for his contributions to football and charity. Beckham amassed 115 caps for the England national team and achieved success with clubs like Manchester United and Real Madrid; he also captained the national team for over five years. Beyond sports, Beckham has been an active ambassador for UNICEF and the King's Foundation, focusing on education and environmental initiatives. The forthcoming honour will also extend to Beckham's wife, Victoria, who will be known as 'Lady Beckham' after the formal announcement.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
David Beckham ‘to receive long-awaited knighthood' in King's birthday honours next week
Football icon David Beckham will reportedly be awarded a knighthood next week. According to a report in The Sun, the former England captain's knighthood will be announced in the King's birthday honours list. The recognition comes over two decades after Beckham, 50, was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2003, which acknowledged his contributions to football and charity. Through his playing career, he amassed 115 caps for the England national team and achieved domestic and international success with clubs including Manchester United, Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, Paris Saint-Germain, and AC Milan. He captained the national team for more than five years and is particularly remembered for his 2001 free-kick against Greece that sent England to the 2002 World Cup. Beyond his sporting achievements, Beckham has been an active ambassador for Unicef and, more recently, the King's Foundation, focusing on education and environmental initiatives. He said at the time: 'I'm excited to be working with The King's Foundation and to have the opportunity to help raise awareness of the charity's work. 'I've always been keen to help young people to expand their horizons and I'm particularly looking forward to supporting the foundation's education programmes and its efforts to ensure young people have greater access to nature. Having developed a love for the countryside I'm also on a personal mission to learn more about rural skills which is so central to the foundation's work. 'It was inspiring to hear from the King about the work of His Majesty's foundation during my recent visit to Highgrove Gardens – and compare beekeeping tips.' In May this year, King Charles III and Camilla attended the RHS Chelsea Flower Show alongside Beckham, who wore the King's Rose on his lapel, a striped variety named after the monarch. In January this year, Beckham was honoured with a Crystal Award at the annual World Economic Forum meeting in Switzerland, for his 'extraordinary leadership and humanitarianism' in protecting 'the rights of the most vulnerable children'. 'Today, there are more children in need and at risk than any time in recent history, and it is always the most vulnerable children who face the biggest challenges – especially girls,' he said on stage. 'Girls are held back by poverty, girls are held back by violence, girls are held back by discrimination.' 'I'm lucky enough to be a father of three boys and one beautiful girl. I want my daughter Harper to have the same opportunities as her brothers, and that should be the case for all girls everywhere.' In 2022, Beckham was part of a 13-hour queue with members of the public to pay his respects to Queen Elizabeth II as she lay in state at Westminster Hall. The forthcoming honour will also extend to Beckham's wife, Victoria, who will be known as 'Lady Beckham' after the formal announcement.
BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Royal Ascot supports next generation of hat-makers
The King's charity has announced a millinery partnership with Royal Ascot to nurture the next generation of Ascot in Berkshire has introduced a £10,000 annual bursary to support a King's Foundation and Chanel graduating millinery Foundation's students will also be showcasing their hats at this year's Royal Ascot, which runs from 17-21 McAuliffe, education director at The King's Foundation said: "We are proud to be supporting the future of this skill at the most iconic hat-wearing event of the year." The Chanel and The King's Foundation Metiers d'Art Millinery Fellowship in Partnership with le19M, Chanel's creative hub for artisans in Paris, was launched in intensive programme aims to develop a network of young specialist milliners in the UK, with the support of Parisian hat-maker Maison Michel at King's Foundation's work is inspired by King Charles's passion for protecting traditional heritage skills at risk of being lost. The Royal Ascot Millinery Collective 2026 is celebrating its 10th anniversary with 10 bespoke designs created under the creative direction of British fashion designer Daniel students joining the millinery course will be tasked with designing a Royal Ascot inspired hat which will be featured in the Royal Ascot Millinery Collective 2026 as its 11th Racecourses' chief executive, Felicity Barnard said: "Exquisite hats and millinery masterpieces are woven into the very fabric of Royal Ascot's heritage."We are committed to preserving and celebrating this tradition for generations to come." You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
